Hello, Goodbye*

So I think we can all agree that my attempt at blog-as-baby-book has completely and finally failed.

Dear children, I love you, but apparently not enough to faithfully record all the silly, funny, heartwarming, profound, and also (occasionally) annoying, ridiculous, and mind-boggling things you do.  I would like to believe that this is because I was/am too busy living all those moments with you and soaking up your fleeting childhood to take time to document properly.  We all know that this is not entirely true, but I think it is a good story none-the-less, and I'm sticking with it.

So, here we are.  It is time to say a bloggy goodbye.  I'm sure this will be confusing to my "readers" (haha!) - kind of like when you see on the news that a celebrity has died and feel completely bewildered because you were sure they'd already died at least five years ago.  But no worries.  I am about to make it even more confusing by announcing that this blog is officially over - but also, not!

I am definitely giving up on the online baby scrapbook plan.  That is kaput.  BUT.  I do have something kind of big and exciting (at least to me) that I'm going to try to do this year, and I'm going to be using this blog as a platform for that project.  But after that, goodbye! 

I will share more about my project/goal in another post.  But before we dive into that story, I thought I should post an update on the cast of characters here in the Hough House.

First up: Peter, my partner in crime.

What can I say?  I married a good man.  Pete spends most of his time leading the church plant that he helped, well, plant, a year or so after we moved here from California almost 4 years ago now.  I am biased, of course, but he is doing a fantastic job.  He is probably the smartest person I actually know, plus he's kind and funny and cute to boot.  I am constantly quoting his sermons to myself and others, and not infrequently to him as well, which is odd, I suppose.  But he always challenges me and gives me a lot to think about while also being my sounding-board for all things.  I know it is said a lot about best friends and spouses, but Peter makes me a better person.  A waaaaay better person.  I am privileged to have a front row seat to his life and thoughts.

Second: Eden, my first-born, my delightfully 5 1/2 year old daughter.

I once said God created coffee just so I had a hope of keeping up with Eden.  I still think there is a good chance that is true.  Eden is exactly what she has always been: a glorious supernova of intelligence, determination, and sensitivity.  She is dramatic and competitive: uncertain and anxious at times, confidently commanding at others.  She reads books I didn't even know existed until I was several years older than her.  She loves animals and if you ever need to know how to tell the difference between a leopard and a jaguar, or what you call a baby platypus, she's your girl.  Living with Eden is like exploring a new frontier: occasionally fraught with conflict and drama and exhaustion but also beautiful and unexpected and wonderfully unforgetable.

Third: Asher, my comedian, my sweet almost-two year old son.

Asher is my cuddle-bug, my snuggler, my lover of all things-that-go.  He cannot leave the house without a toy car or truck or train in hand.  He loves things that ROAR, whether that is a motorcycle, T-Rex, or tiger.  As he approaches his twos, we are seeing more of the infamous Hough stubbornness and flair for drama, but he is still in many ways much more laid-back and flexible than his sister (and, let's be honest, his mother).  We cannot wait for Asher to start talking as it is very clear the gears are chugging away in all sorts of delightful ways in that shaggy head of his.  That being said, Asher has never seemed to be in a hurry for anything (except going outside - if you open the door to the great outdoors you'd better be prepared to block a twenty-something-pound toddler from stumbling through it).  In many ways, I think Eden sees milestones as personal challenges for her to conquer and control - opportunities for victory; I suspect Asher cannot possibly be bothered with anything so mundane as what other people think is important.  Undoubtedly, they both give me a run for my money on a daily, sometimes hourly basis, while also being tiny, bouncy pinpricks of light through which the glory of heaven shines in all its beauty.

Hough House bit characters: Two cats, Sheba and Pudge, the thirteen year old banes of my existence.  One rabbit, Flopsy, the three year old bunny who I'm actually pretty fond of, mostly because he confines his messes to the backyard as opposed to the interior of my house.

And that's that!  Life in our small-town cottage is currently frenetic and tedious, alarming and exhilarating and mundane - an adventure and a lot of work all at the same time, just as yours is, I imagine.  I am thankful for it, and I am trying will all my might to learn how to cherish it and how to give it away.

 *One of my all-time favorite Beatles' songs.  Also, a notorious ear-worm. (So, sorry if you clicked on the link.  Except not sorry because the song is awesome.)